About Central Park (Manhattan, N.Y. City), and a question as to food  
scarcity.  Any comments on this topic appreciated, to the list if  
deemed appropriate, or off-list directed to me alone.

Although it may get a bit esoteric to 'non-regulars' of the place  
about Central Park (and even more specifically one section of the park  
or more so the Ramble), what's interesting in Harry Maas' report  
(earlier today) & his comments is that that was, in great part,  
exactly what a couple of other experienced birders that cover the  
Ramble & its environs made comments on, indeed it echoes most  
specifically that in birding in a couple of particular locations in  
that park the birds, or at least most migrant insectivores among the  
birds, have been found in flocks (where any flock at all has been  
seen) and recently (this "fall" season) in short order, said flock  
mainly moves on not to be re-found.  I have also noticed this to  
greater extent than usual in much of the north end of the park this  
season, with activity making it appear that one might expect birds to  
stay in a particular section (at least, if not in the specific  
location) and not move out in such seeming totality, while in re- 
visiting an area it has been more often that activity levels have  
dropped off to little or no migrant activity.  The only exceptions and  
even they haven't been a guarantee by any means, have been visiting  
the immediate vicinity of flowing water, mainly 3 areas (and just 2  
regularly visited by many birders, this or almost any season): the  
Pond and it's waterfall area, near Central Park South and up from  
"Sixth Ave." (aka Avenue of the Americas: only to out-of-towners), the  
Gill in the Ramble (of which the Azalea Pond is a part), and the Loch  
(in the area also known as the "ravine") within the park's north end,  
with perhaps lesser concentrations at times at areas near the Lake,  
near the Pool, at Tanner's Spring (which has seemed terriibly "slow"  
so far this season) and at the small stream flowing into the lake from  
just north of West 77th Street. In these areas, I have sometimes (but  
by no means always) found some activity in more hours during the day,  
most often (as could be expected at bird bathing-drinking sites) on  
sunnier, warmer days. The trees and shrubs surrounding such waters are  
often where the birds have been and not simply at the water, as in  
bathing & drinking activities.

One thing that a great many birders have mentioned is whether the  
insectivores are finding enough prey items to sustain feeding in  
numbers, esp. in flocks, and in discrete areas, for any length of  
time; some birders believing that these birds are having to move on by  
force to find enough to eat, esp. just after arrival on migration. If  
this is so, it's unusual - more often there are places which provide  
feeding for many birds over long periods, although there are always  
(or have been) what we often call "hot-spots" which of course, are  
really mainly particular areas which whether on a very short-term or  
somewhat longer term produce a great  many insects and perhaps, some  
fruits in the case of those birds that eat much fruit or imbibe of its  
nectar (a number of small birds do that as well as seeking insects  
including some warblers,  many flycatchers, & certainly vireos, &  
others), but protein in the form of (more properly, small  
invertebrates, and not just "insects") is the driver, the most  
important source of energy and build-up of fat reserves, for a great  
many birds, not just passerine species. Are we seeing a lot of overly  
hungry birds - and if so is it a result of local (mild, but extended)  
drought that we had until the very recent rains here, or is there  
another situation ongoing this fall? Since I like to observe insect  
life as well as birds, I can't say that I've noticed any crash of  
certain insects in Central Park - I would ask if there have been  
regular field observations from, among others, the informal group who  
do moth-watching in the park, as that group of insects actually may  
provide a great many prey items to migrants in the form of the moth in  
caterpillar form. There has also been some comment from birders region- 
wide as to lower than average numbers of certain (usually common)  
biting insects in some areas, including boreal areas in northern  
realms, and (if this is actually the case) whether this points to a  
generalized lack of feeding on  many typical prey items for birds of   
many kinds. The variety and profundity of insect life, and more  
generally of smaller invertebrate life, is typically such that  
insectivores may usually find alternative food (prey) items without  
great difficulty, so if it's so that there is a general lack of these  
food or prey items it may be that birds, including many migrants, are  
having a harder time than is usual.  Any rapid moving-on by migrants  
at this season is somewhat unusual as the fall migration is generally  
more protracted with birds in less of a "hurry" and able & willing to  
spend some days (or longer) refueling & resting on their southbound  
journeys. If birds in a given area are not finding enough to eat,  
however, then move on they must & there would be little dallying, even  
in the "urban oases" or green spaces among the concrete & steel jungle  
also known as megalopiolis... in this case, greater New York City.

Harry M. may not have meant all this to be brought up, but as an  
experienced and enthusiastic observer he also has a point - although  
In don't know if the above was part of his intended point.  I don't  
wish to be a pessimist either but there also seems to be a trend of  
not having major local (and even less so, regional) fall-outs (or  
large "waves") of migrants in the ways seen even just a decade ago,  
without some extenuating weather circumstance. It also is a question I  
have had as to whether the urban park generally, and specifically  
Central Park, has seen a reduction in overall numbers of migrants for  
reasons particular to the park[s] and its surroundings as well as to  
the larger question of overall regional and even world-wide bird  
populations. So (my opinion) it seems there may be multiple goings on,  
of local (and perhaps very local) food shortages, and also much  
broader issues.  As to temporal observations of birds, migrants or  
otherwise, I've typically found that one may work much harder to find  
all that's been seen in the first hour of daylight than what can be  
gleaned looking an hour or more later on. That's sometimes the source  
of the old "you should've been here 5 minutes ago" etc. which is all  
too familiar to all birders everywhere - although in worst-case  
scenario it refers, as we all can relate, to a particular bird or  
birds that may be rare &/or a highly-desired sighting! (Harry, you  
sure got me going there, and to him and all of us I hope we'll have  
some more satisfying and longer-lasting migrant activity to observe in  
Central Park & in general.)

I would also add that a number of species I saw (and have seen) are  
'singletons' or in very low numbers, while the typically-commoner  
species have been moderately numerous at times. Further, I've been in  
some particular locations that in past fall seasons have been quite  
good at some times of day, and this season so far have had so few (or  
no) migrant sightings that I fairly quickly moved on, to try other  
locations in the park - this seems to be happening more & more, such  
that it's become rarer to find a good "hot-spot": that maintains that  
appellation. I hope that changes - we will see. I have any number of  
specific sites that I would call "barometers" for migrants, which is  
to say that if they are very active normally it indicates a good  
migration stop-over is or recently was in progress. This season there  
have only been a couple of fairly busy days with passerines, but there  
is a lot of the fall land-bird migration to go! At the same time and  
as I've stressed in any number of posts to this list, many are the  
species which for the most part are already mainly done with their  
migration through the northeast.  A few species have for the most part  
already arrived at their wintering grounds - an example is Cerulean  
Warbler, not seen much anyhow in fall migration hereabouts, and mostly  
all gone. (A few will turn up in September, but not in any number in  
any northeastern location).

Incidentally while at the "maintenance field" this morning (and not at  
the crack of dawn!) I continually glanced about to see if any other  
birders were about but saw none at that time. The one birder I saw  
literally moments later in the Ramble may have headed there but I  
don't know what luck he may have had. (It was he mentioned the rush,  
and sudden departure, of most migrants in Strawberry Fields this  
morning - and indeed when I visited that park location soon afterwards  
I was unable to turn up much more than the most common of migrants,  
rather than the 15 warbler species that birder noted in a short time  
on this Friday a.m. at that (typically good in early morning)  
location: very consistent with Harry Maas' lament, it would seem.

Herewith the exact dozen species of warbler just at the Ramble's  
maintenance field (which by any logic is a part of the Ramble) and  
their approximate numbers if more than singletons (in that location),  
seen in a rather brief time at that one location, for about :

Blue-winged Warbler (1)
Nashville Warbler (1)
Northern Parula (1)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (2)
Magnolia Warbler (6)
Black-throated Green Warbler (1adult female)
Blackburnian Warbler (1 adult female)
Black-and-white Warbler (3)
American Redstart (6+)
Ovenbird (1)
Common Yellowthroat (2, poss. more)
Canada Warbler (2)

Good birding,

Tom Fiore,
Manhattan
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